Face-to-face sessions at Daleham Gardens are paused while the building is being renovated. We are seeing clients online and by telephone in the meantime, and will start booking in-person appointments again as soon as the rooms reopen.
Low-cost counselling in Camden
Somewhere to talk things through, for whatever you can afford
Fleet Counselling is a small charity offering confidential one-to-one counselling to people across Camden and North London — online, by telephone, or face to face in Belsize Park. Your first session is free.
Your first session costs nothing, so you can decide without committing to anything.
Up to twenty-four weekly hours with the same counsellor, and longer if you need it.
Online, by telephone, or face to face — whichever suits your circumstances.
How it works
Four steps, and you can stop at any one of them
Nothing is committed to before you have talked to someone and seen how it feels.
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You get in touch
Send us a message through the form, or email us. A sentence is plenty.
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A short assessment call
We talk about what has brought you here, and whether Fleet is the right place for it. If not, we help point you somewhere that is.
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Your first session, free
You meet your counsellor — online, by phone or in person — then you both decide whether to carry on. No commitment yet.
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Weekly sessions
Up to an hour a week with the same counsellor, for up to twenty-four sessions, and longer if you need it.
Who it is for
People come to us for all sorts of reasons
You do not need a diagnosis or a referral, and you do not need a reason that sounds serious enough. If things feel like too much, that is reason enough.
- Trauma, and its aftermath
- Bereavement and loss
- Life-changing illness or injury
- Stress and anxiety
- Feeling low, flat or hopeless
- Difficulties in a relationship
- Family breakdown or separation
- Addiction, or drinking and using more than you want to
- Losing work, or money worries
- Feeling isolated or far from home
What it costs
Your first session is free, and after that you pay what you can genuinely afford
We are a charity, not a clinic. Fleet exists to make counselling available to people who could not otherwise reach it, and what clients contribute goes towards keeping the service running rather than into anyone's income.
After your free first session, you and your counsellor agree a regular contribution together. It is a conversation, not a price list, and it takes your actual circumstances into account. If your situation changes while you are seeing someone, the amount can be looked at again.
For professionals
Referring a client to Fleet
We work alongside GPs, social workers, community mental health teams and other services across Camden and North London.
What we can offer your client
- A free initial session, following a short assessment call
- Up to 24 weekly sessions with the same counsellor, extendable where needed
- Online, telephone or face-to-face appointments
- A contribution agreed by ability to pay, so cost is not a barrier
How to refer
Send us the referral by email and we will arrange the assessment call directly with your client. We will let you know if we are not the right fit, rather than leaving them in limbo.
Who we are
A small charity that has stayed put
Fleet Counselling was set up by a group of trained volunteer counsellors to make good counselling available to people who could not afford to pay for it privately. That was the founding idea and it has not changed.
Our counsellors are qualified, or in training on an accredited course, and each holds their own clinical supervision as their accrediting body requires. Many give their time alongside other work.
Most people find us through their GP surgery, through the North London NHS Foundation Trust and the North West Camden Core Team, or by word of mouth. You can also simply contact us yourself.
Where the name comes from
A river that runs under Camden
The Fleet rises in the ponds on Hampstead Heath and flows south through Camden. For most of the last two hundred years it has run out of sight, beneath the streets — still there, still moving, under everything built on top of it.
It seemed a fitting thing to name a counselling service after.
In memory
Alan Hurst
Founder of Fleet CounsellingAlan trained as a counsellor at the Metanoia Institute and started Fleet because he believed the people least able to pay for counselling were often the people who most needed it.
He was compassionate and hard to shock, and he held a clear boundary without ever being cold about it. He was not afraid of a difficult conversation, and not afraid to challenge someone when challenging them was the kind thing to do. He never took himself too seriously. He loved music, saw the bright side of most situations, and was willing to take a risk.
He was a good friend, and a remarkable husband, father, grandfather and counsellor. He is missed.
Everything on this website rests on something he understood early: that being short of money should never be the reason someone cannot talk to somebody.
What actually happens in a session
An hour, and someone whose only job is to listen properly. If you have never done this before, start here.
About counselling →Work with us
We are always glad to hear from counsellors, whether qualified or in training, and we need help with the running of the service too.
Volunteering at Fleet →Questions people ask first
What it costs, who else finds out, what happens if you miss a session, and what to do if your counsellor is not the right fit.
Read the answers →Find us
Belsize Park, with step-free access
Our rooms are at the rear entrance of 3 Daleham Gardens — round the side of the building, not through the front door, which belongs to the GP surgery. The building has ramp and lift access throughout.
| Address | The Rear Entrance 3 Daleham Gardens London NW3 5BY |
|---|---|
| Access | Wheelchair accessible, with ramps and a lift |
| Nearest tube | Finchley Road, Swiss Cottage or Belsize Park |
The hardest part is usually the first message. You do not have to explain it well — you just have to say you would like to talk to someone.
Fleet Counselling